The U.S. Department of Justice can intervene in a lawsuit against the Orleans Parish jail, a federal judge decided on Tuesday. The agency asked U.S. District Court Judge Lance Africk for permission a day earlier, arguing that it was a necessary move to eventually reach a settlement to improve conditions at the city's troubled facilities. Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman has been...

The U.S. Department of Justice can intervene in a lawsuit against the Orleans Parish jail, a federal judge decided on Tuesday. The agency asked U.S. District Court Judge Lance Africk for permission a day earlier, arguing that it was a necessary move to eventually reach a settlement to improve conditions at the city's troubled facilities.

Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman has been in negotiations with the Justice Department about a proposed federal consent decree. In a news release, the federal agency portrayed those negotiations as coming to a close.

In a brief minute entry filed into the federal court record, Africk granted the motion to intervene and noted that he was told "that the parties are continuing to resolve outstanding issues."

The original lawsuit against Gusman and his jail operations was brought by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which alleged that inmates are routinely victims of violence and other inhumane conditions.

Attorneys for inmates represented by the law center, as well as representatives of Gusman and the Justice Department are participating in the discussions about the settlement. This agreement, if finalized, is expected to take the form of a federal consent decree, which would be overseen by a judge and monitor. This kind of decree, much like the one currently proposed for the New Orleans Police Department, would mandate changes in how sheriff deputies run the jail.